Australia vs Zimbabwe 3rd ODI Full Commentary

Live · Sep 20 2026, Sun - 01:00 PM (IST)

3rd ODI, - Harare Sports Club

AUS

112/3 (18.4)

ZIM

271/8 (50.0)

Australia need 160 runs in 188 balls at 5.10 rpo

CRR:6.00 | RR: 5.10

0.0

Welcome back for the second essay. Sikandar Raza leads his men out onto the park. They are followed by the two Aussie openers, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh. Blessing Muzarabani has the new ball in hand and is raring to go. Marsh to take strike. There is a slip in place. Let's play...
0.0

... THE RUN CHASE ...
0.0

Balanced Aussie attack limits the late charge - On the bowling front, Australia’s disciplined attack and clinical execution ensured the hosts could not run away with the game during the death overs. Out of the regular bowlers, the relentless Nathan Ellis was the pick of the bunch, dismantling the hosts' momentum to finish with impressive figures of 3 wickets. He received excellent support from left-arm quick Spencer Johnson and spin wizard Adam Zampa, who both extracted great value from the dry surface to pick up 2 crucial wickets each and keep the chase highly manageable. The target doesn't look particularly threatening for this deep Australian batting unit, but you never know in cricket. If Zimbabwe can pick up a few early wickets, they can really put Australia under pressure. We will be back with the chase in a bit.
0.0

Kaia's injury halts momentum - The cornerstone of the Zimbabwean innings was a special, fighting knock of unbeaten 81 from captain Sikandar Raza, who was brilliantly complemented by two other half-centurions to lay down a rock-solid foundation. Earlier, a flourishing 4th-wicket partnership between Innocent Kaia and Craig Ervine had put the team in complete control, ticking along beautifully with an 80-run stand off just 87 deliveries. However, disaster struck when Kaia was forced to retire hurt after severely straining his hamstring. From that exact moment, the innings lost its upward trajectory, and the lower order faltered to finish on 271.
0.0

Zimbabwe post 271 - The hosts will undoubtedly feel they left quite a few runs out in the middle after comfortably sitting at 209 for 3. It was yet another collective batting effort from the Chevrons where multiple players promised a lot with solid starts, but nobody could anchor long enough with a truly defining individual hundred. While three separate batters raised their bats for half-centuries, the lack of a massive, explosive milestone ultimately prevented them from breaching the elusive 300-run mark in this third ODI.
49.7

A couple of runs to end the innings. Zimbabwe finish on 271/8. This is very full, on middle and leg. Raza hurriedly gets his bat down and jams it out behind square leg. The fielder in the deep is quick to the ball but cannot prevent the batters from coming back for the second run.
49.6

OUT! ERNEST MASUKU IS RUN OUT! Xavier Bartlett produces the direct hit. Spears in the yorker, angled in at the toes. Raza looks to dig it out, but the ball goes through his legs. As the ball goes behind towards the keeper, Ernest tries to sneak in a bye. He is nearly halfway before being sent back. Inglis lobs the ball towards Bartlett, who gathers it cleanly and turns around to hit the stumps at the bowling end with Masuku short of his ground. Blessing Muzarabani walks out to bat.
49.5

FOUR! Gets it away. Into the wicket and it is the slower one, Raza walks across to the off side and sets himself up for the scoop. He does not have much pace to work with but manages to scoop it to the left of the keeper for a boundary.
49.4

Nice change-up! Takes pace off, does Bartlett and the length is pulled back, on middle. Sikandar Raza has a big heave across the line but can only connect with thin air.
49.3

Superb execution! Gets the yorker spot on, at the toes. Raza clears the front leg and tries to jam it out but is beaten on the inside edge and the ball goes through his legs.
49.2

Wide! Off-pace short ball, around off. Raza hops to play the uppercut but misses. Wide given for height, much to the delight of the home crowd.
49.1

Bowled very full, tailing in towards the leg stump. Raza can't do much about it and jams it out back to the bowler.
48.7

Angled in on a good length, on middle. Raza tucks it through mid-wicket and takes a single to retain the strike. 12 runs off the over.
48.6

FOUR! Lovely shot! Ellis takes pace off and delivers it full, outside off. Raza waits for the ball to arrive and holds his shape as he launches it over extra cover. One hand comes off the bat handle but he manages to get it in the vacant deep extra cover region for a four.
48.5

Wide. Raza shimmies towards the leg side and Ellis responds by pushing it wider but ends up drifting beyond the guideline.
48.4

Tight single. It is the back-of-the-hand slower one, fuller and on off. Masuku keeps it out close to his body. The ball drops at his feet, and he is called through for a quick single by Raza. Ellis swoops in and has an underarm shy at the batting end but misses. It would not have mattered anyway, as Raza was in by then.
48.3

At 132 kph, outside off, on a length. Raza swings a bit too hard and loses his shape. Miscues it off the inner half to long on for a single.
48.2

FOUR! Up and over! Not the best of balls by Ellis. A length ball with mid off up inside the circle. Raza clears the front leg and swings through the line, pumping it over mid off for a boundary.
48.1

Slips in the wide yorker. Raza lets it go but the ball sneaks inside the tramline.
47.6

On a back of a length, on middle. Raza nurdles it to deep mid-wicket and keeps the strike with a single. 9 runs off the over without taking any risk.
47.5

Excellent hustle between the wickets. Full and on the pads, Raza brings his bat out in front and taps it with soft hands to the right of long on. He pushes Masuku through for the second, and they make it before the throw arrives. Zimbabwe go past 250.
47.4

Tailing in at the toes, on the fuller side. Masuku is beaten on the flick and wears it on the pads. A stifled appeal for LBW, but it is turned down. The batters sneak in a leg bye as the ball rolls on the off side.
47.3

Off-cutter, on a back of a length, on middle. Raza pulls it hard to deep mid-wicket and takes a single.
47.2

Good running! Very full, angled in at the toes. Raza watchfully tucks it into the vacant mid-wicket region and comes charging back for the second run. Raza moves to 61, this is now the highest score by a Zimbabwean batter in this series.
47.1

Pace off and bowled into the wicket by Bartlett, on off. Raza charges down the track and hops to smash it wide of deep cover for a couple of runs.
46.8

Flat and short, on off. Masuku chops it down to backward point.
46.7

Wide! Another googly that sneaks down leg, on the shorter side. Masuku rocks back but fails to connect on the pull.
46.6

Wide. Down leg, dragged down leg. Masuku swivels but misses out on the pull. Half a shout for caught behind by Josh Inglis but it has been given as a wide.
46.5

Shorter and on off, Raza punches it wide of extra cover for a single.
46.4

FOUR! Untidy in the field! Drifting in fuller and on middle and leg. Raza charges down the track and ends up getting too close to the ball. Mishits it off the inner half down to long on, where Xavier Bartlett moves forward but is late to get his hands down to make the stop. He lets it through his legs and concedes a boundary.

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18.4

1 run, that is punched off the back foot for a single.
18.3

Full and on the pads, Alex Carey works this through the square leg region for a single.
18.2

Short and around off, Josh Inglis gets up on his toes and guides this to the third man region for one run.
18.1

FOUR! Pitched-up delivery, on middle and off, Josh Inglis punches this down the ground. Ernest Masuku gets his right hand behind the ball, but the ball brushes his fingertips and races to the long on region for a boundary.
0.0

Ernest Masuku comes back, replacing Blessing Muzarabani.
17.6

Quicker one, on the pads, Josh Inglis milks this to the left of the short fine leg fielder for one run.
17.5

Quicker one, on middle and off, Alex Carey hits this to deep point for a single.
17.4

Darted on off, Alex Carey defends this out.
17.3

Fired on the pads, Josh Inglis tickles this through square leg for one.
17.2

Pushed through on off, Josh Inglis gets behind the line of the ball and keeps it out.
17.1

Short of a length, on middle and off, Josh punches this to mid on.

0.0

DRINKS BREAK! Australia may have lost 3 wickets, but they have scored at a good clip right from the start. Zimbabwe just have not managed to put it together with the ball for long periods. There was a phase earlier in the game when Cooper Connolly faced 15 dots in a row, but the home side has not managed to build that kind of pressure consistently. Given Australia's batting depth, Zimbabwe need to keep chipping away at the wickets. Sikandar Raza is yet to bring himself on, but it does not seem too long before he does and tries to see what he can make out of this used surface. And there you go, here's the Zimbabwean skipper after the break.
16.6

Pushed through around off, Alex Carey hits this around the right of the bowler for no run.
16.5

FOUR! 100 comes up for the Aussies. Flighted, around off, Alex Carey prods onto his front foot and chips this over extra cover for a boundary.
16.4

FOUR! Carey plays this stroke way too well. Tossed up, around off, Alex Carey brings out the reverse sweep and hits this in the gap through the right of backward point for four runs.
16.3

Quicker one, on the pads, Alex Carey goes for the flick on the swivel but edges this back onto his pads.
16.2

Fired onto the pads, Josh Inglis tucks this to deep mid-wicket for one run.
16.1

Fuller on the pads, Josh Inglis milks this through the mid-wicket region for a couple of runs.
15.7

Short and around off, Alex Carey sits under it.
15.6

Good length, on middle and leg, Alex Carey tucks this to mid-wicket.
15.5

Blessing bowls it on a length, around the pads, Josh works this through square leg for a single.

15.4

Good length, on middle and off, Josh Inglis gets onto his back foot and blocks this one.
15.3

Wide! Short and wide of off, Josh Inglis sits underneath it. Too high for the umpire's liking.
15.2

On a length, around the pads, Josh Inglis flicks this to the left of deep mid-wicket and picks up a couple.
15.1

Short and on middle and off, Josh Inglis hops inside the crease, up on his toes and keeps it out.
14.6

Fuller around off, Alex Carey keeps it out.
14.5

Floated on middle and leg, Josh Inglis looks to defend but gets it through the square leg region off his inside edge for a single.
14.4

Quicker one, on the pads, Josh rocks onto his back foot and works this to mid-wicket for no run.
14.3

Flighted, around off, Alex Carey pushes this down the ground to long off for a single.
14.2

Tossed up, on off, Alex Carey brings out the reverse sweep and hits this to short third.

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